


Stress Ball

by TheFoolsKnightober (TheFoolsKnight)



Series: Flufftober 2020 [11]
Category: The Eldest Curses Series - Cassandra Clare, The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Anxiety, Flufftober, Flufftober 2020, Good Boyfriend Magnus Bane, M/M, Stress Relief, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:48:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27045997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFoolsKnight/pseuds/TheFoolsKnightober
Summary: Flufftober Day 11 - SquishyAlec has lost his stress ball, and just so happens to have a seminar at college that afternoon. Will he find a replacement in time?
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: Flufftober 2020 [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948024
Comments: 6
Kudos: 80





	Stress Ball

Alec was starting to go crazy.

He’d searched everywhere - his closet, under the bed, the many drawers of his nightstand, but it was nowhere to be seen. 

Jace poked his head through the open door and nearly screamed when a stray flying notebook almost hit him in the head.

“What the hell?!”

Alec jumped and turned to face his brother, who was glaring at him from the half-open door.

“Jace,” Alec moaned, flopping back on the bed. “I lost my stress ball!”

Alec’s stress ball was something very, very important to him. He’d bought it at fifteen, when he was first diagnosed with anxiety issues, and he’d had that ever since. It was purple in colour, and he’d squish it between his hands whenever he was stressed or anxious, and it helped. Sometimes the ball ended up deformed beyond recognition, but it was specially designed to return to its original form no matter what, and by the next morning it would be perfectly round and ready to be squished again.

And now it was gone.

Jace walked over and sat on the bed next to him. “Don’t you have another?”

“No!” Alec exclaimed, throwing his hands up. “It was the only one! And now it’s gone. And I have a seminar this afternoon, and I don’t know how I’m going to survive this without my ball! What do I do, Jace?”

Jace hummed consideringly for a moment, then said, “Just buy another on the way to college. I’m sure it’ll be easy to find one, right?”

Alec relaxed a fraction. “What if all the stores are closed?”

“Nah, you’re overthinking again,” Jace said. “Look, just tell Magnus and he’ll help you get one before the seminar begins, okay?”

“But-“

“And suppose you don’t get a ball before your seminar,” Jace went on, ignoring him. He stood up and opened a drawer from Alec’s nightstand, pulling out several socks. Alec watched as he bundled up the socks, wrapping them around each other and tying a few knots before handing the faux ball to Alec. “Use this.”

Alec poked at it with a sceptical frown. “Are you serious?”

“Yep,” Jace said. Alec looked at him, and then gave the ball an experimental squeeze. 

It wasn’t as good. At all.

Alec wanted his ball back.

With a sigh, he stood up and shoved the sock ball into his bag. “Thanks Jace.”

Jace saluted him with a grin. “No problem, bro!”

“Are you sure it’s not in your house?”

Magnus shook his head, his eyes on the road as he drove them both to college. “I checked everywhere. I couldn’t find it. I’m sorry, Alec.”

Alec sighed and looked out of the window, watching the buildings pass by. He braced himself, and then said,

“Can we stop by a toy store or something? I want to see if I can find a ball. I’m  _ not  _ using Jace’s sock ball in front of the college for a seminar.”

“Sure,” Magnus said, turning the car left. “Let’s hope we find one.”

“Right.” Alec reached out and gave Magnus’s knee a brief squeeze before pulling away. “Thanks a lot, Magnus.”

Magnus snorted and took his eyes off the road for a brief moment to kiss Alec’s cheek. “I’m your boyfriend, love. It’s my duty to make sure you’re always comfortable.”

Alec’s lips spread into a soft smile and he looked at Magnus, his cheeks feeling slightly warm despite the air conditioning in the car. “I love you.”

Magnus returned the smile. “I love you too. Now, let’s go find a ball.”

“What do you mean you don’t have balls?!” Alec almost yelled in the middle of the store. 

The employee shifted uncomfortably and said, “I’m sorry, sir, but we just ran out of stock. The next shipment is expected to arrive by this evening.”

Alec’s heart dropped. He didn’t have time till the evening. He needed a ball by this afternoon.

Magnus took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Alec stood silent as he said something to the employee, and then the two of them walked out of the store.

“It’s okay,” Magnus said soothingly, interlocking his fingers with Alec’s. “We can go to a couple of other stores-“

Alec looked at his watch and sighed. “Let’s just go to college now. We don’t have much time before classes start. I don’t want you to miss anything because of me.”

“Alec-“ 

Alec shook his head, not allowing Magnus to speak any more. “It’s fine, Magnus. I’ll manage this one time. Don’t worry about me.”

Magnus mumbled something under his breath that Alec couldn’t quite catch, and then they made their way back to the car.

Alec was a nervous wreck the whole day as he watched the hours tick down to the seminar. Several times he found himself wringing his own hands, and he’d considered briefly but dismissed the idea of using Jace’s sock ball. He was allowed to use a stress ball during seminars and such, of course, but he doubted the staff would take it kindly if Alec used a wad of socks instead. 

Alec wished he could be with Magnus, atleast for a little while, but he was undoubtedly busy with his own classes, and Alec didn’t want to disturb him. 

At exactly twelve in the afternoon, Alec took a deep breath and made his way to the auditorium for his seminar.

What he didn’t expect was Magnus standing just outside the auditorium, looking around the hallways as if searching for something, no,  _ someone. _

“Magnus?” Alec asked, relaxing a fraction upon seeing his boyfriend. Magnus’s gaze snapped to him and he waved at Alec. “What are you doing here?” 

Alec stepped closer to Magnus, looking at him with an inquisitive gaze. Magnus smiled at him, cupping his chin and giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Can’t I come see my boyfriend before his seminar?”

Alec let out a huff of laughter. “Well, you can, I suppose. Seriously, though. Shouldn’t you be in class?” 

“Well, the class was cancelled,” Magnus said with a helpless shrug. “And before that, I had a study hour, and since I had plenty of time on my hands…”

Magnus flashed a grin at him and reached into his backpack, pulling out a midnight blue stress ball doused in silver glitter and held it out to Alec. “I got this for you.”

Alec gasped and took the ball in his hands, giving it an experimental squeeze. It was  _ perfect,  _ maybe even squishier than his old ball. A smile somehow made its way onto Alec’s face, and he looked at Magnus.

“Magnus, you didn’t have to-“

“Oh, come on, none of that now.” Magnus shushed him with a finger on his lips, and then gave him another kiss on the cheek. “I’d do anything for you, love. You know that, right?”

Alec softened and, uncaring of all the students around them, leaned in and kissed Magnus on the lips.

“I know,” he said, pulling away. “God, I love you so much.”

Magnus’s eyes shone like molten gold as he looked at him. 

“Me too,” Magnus said, and gave Alec a final kiss, this time on the forehead. “Now go rock that seminar.”


End file.
